Tehran, April 18: A top Iranian diplomat has described the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai as “popular” and “stable,” adding Tehran believes this administration should be strengthened to overcome problems.
“The countries which have come to Afghanistan from afar have no intention of safeguarding the interests of the people in the region,” Mohammadali Fathollahi, the Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for the Asia-Pacific, said in a meeting with Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Javid Loddin.
Fathollahi expressed Iran’s backing for the Afghan Supreme Peace Council, calling for the national reconciliation process in Afghanistan to be expedited in order to establish peace and brotherhood in the country, reported the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
In the meeting, the two sides also called for further expansion of bilateral ties in all areas.
The visiting Afghan diplomat underlined the Kabul government’s top priority is to reach self-sufficiency and see the country run by the people themselves.
He further pointed out that Afghans are “sensitive” about the permanent presence of foreign troops in their country, and that the Afghan government will heed calls by the Afghan people.
Despite the presence of about 150,000 US-led foreign troops in Afghanistan, the country remains devastated by militancy as well as persistent bombardments and ground attacks by foreign troops.
The Afghan deputy foreign minister said he was satisfied with the positive attitude of the Iranian people toward Afghan refugees, expressing hope that Afghan nationals will return home as soon as problems are solved and security is restored in war-torn Afghanistan.
Loddin has traveled to Iran, heading a delegation to attend the second Iran-Afghanistan joint consular commission.
——–Agencies